This cake is a stunner! It's not very often that I find a cake looks as good as it tastes, but this one is a winner. I've spent the greater part of 10 years in search of and tweaking recipes to come up with the ultimate carrot cake. Some recipes had nuts, some had raisins, some had both nuts and raisins, but nothing was quite right, until now. This carrot cake can be made on it's own or with walnuts. It is a dense cake, but it feels light from the finely grated carrots and ginger. The fresh orange zest in the cream cheese icing is a relatively new addition. I find it really adds to the flavour and brightens up the cake.
The candied carrot strips were inspired by a Martha Stewart cake I saw on Instagram TV. I'm not going to lie, candying the carrots strips was a labour of love, but in the end it was so worth the extra time and work. You don't have to do this step, but it sure takes this carrot ginger cake to another level - it is definitely the pièce de résistance! I served this cake for Easter dinner and was looking for a decoration idea that was special occasion worthy - I think this made the cut!
Let me know if you do make this cake or the candied carrots - email or message me. Tag your photos at #mykuratedlife .
Enjoy!
Krista
Carrot Ginger Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Icing and Candied Carrots
Ingredients
Carrot Ginger Cake
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vailla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
2 1/2 cups grated carrot (I use the small grated for finely grated carrots)
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
*1/2 cup toasted, chopped walnuts (optional)
Orange Cream Cheese Icing
16oz cream cheese (2 packages)
1 stick of unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp freshly grated orange zest
pinch of salt
11/2 - 2 cups icing sugar (as needed for consistency)
Candied Carrot Strips (recipe adapted from Martha Stewart)
1.5 pounds multi-coloured carrots sliced (I used 2 bunches of carrots with tops as the carrots were quite small)
7 cups sugar
Method
Cake
Turn oven on to 300 degrees. Lightly grease 2 - 9"cake pans and line the bottom with parchment paper. On medium speed, combine and beat together the oil and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time fully mixing each egg in before adding the next. Combine and sift dry ingredients into a bowl and slowly add to egg mixture. Beat until all ingredients are just incorporated. Fold in raw carrots and walnuts if using. Bake for one hour or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Icing
All ingredients must be at room temperature. Beat together cream cheese and butter until soft and fluffy looking. Add icing sugar in batches while mixer is on low speed. Once icing sugar is mixed in, increase speed for 30 seconds. Add vanilla and orange zest, them mix for 30 seconds more.
Candied Carrots Strips (from Martha Stewart)
Using a mandolin slicer, slice whole carrots lengthwise in 1/8" strips.
Boil 4 cups of sugar with 2 cups of water in a high stockpot. Gently lower carrot slices into the boiling water and simmer for 25 minutes or until the carrots become translucent. To prevent sugar from crystallizing on the sides of the pot, keep a small container of cold water and a pastry brush handy to brush the sides of the saucepan every few minutes, or as needed.
While carrots are simmering, combine in a second pot, the remaining 3 cups of sugar with 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil. When the sugar is dissolved, remove pot from heat. Gently remove carrots, using a slotted spoon from the first sugar mixture they boiled in, and place into the second pot of syrup. Let the carrots stand until completely cooled. Discard the first syrup from the first stock pot.
Once carrots are cooled, or when ready to decorate, remove each carrot from the syrup, one at a time and gently run fingers down length of carrot to remove excess syrup. Lay carrot strip on drying rack (I placed a cookie sheet with wax paper under the drying rack to catch any syrup drips). Let carrots dry a bit (I waited an hour) before using to decorate. Carrots can be stored in an air tight container for 3 days, refrigerated.
Assembly
Once cakes have cooled, take first cake layer and place top-side down on a plate. Add about 3/4 to 1 cup icing on top and add second cake top-side down. Add icing liberally to the sides of cake, smooth with an off-set spatula, finish by holding a bench scraper against the cake side to flatten out icing. Add remaining icing to top of cake and smooth out.
If using candied carrots to decorate, a few hours before serving, take carrots from drying rack and cut, bend, or twist as desired. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes:
* I often omit the walnuts, depending on allergies. If I don't know who will be eating the cake, I usually omit the nuts.
* I have used this recipe to make cupcakes as well. Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes. Yield is 24 smaller cupcakes.
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